A NORTH-EAST tech company is planning to double its workforce by the end of 2021.

Melius Group specialises in using technology to transform businesses and has increased its team by six to 12 in the last few months – and plans to recruit further experienced people before the start of 2022.

The company also plans to explore apprenticeship opportunities next year.

Steve Cowie, CEO at Melius Group, said: “We’ve had substantial growth over the last year and we’re confident that trajectory will continue.

"Growth has come from winning new clients and securing more work from existing customers. We can see significant opportunities for growth so will be recruiting further skilled team members to ensure we have the structure and resource in preparation for more work.”

Melius has just moved into new offices at Haylofts, in Newcastle city centre, to accommodate its larger team.

Mr Cowie, who is from Wearside and now lives in County Durham, graduated from Strathclyde University with a degree in engineering before starting his career in tech.

He had senior roles at with several IT companies at national, international and global levels - including Lenovo, Dell, EMC and Hitachi – before launching Melius.

David McPherson, from Teesside, is also a director and the company’s chief information officer and has been with the company since it was established.

He started with the Bank of England, and had national roles for Northern Electric, EMC, Symantec and Aegis IT before taking on a business development role at TSG. He has a degree in electrical and electronic engineering.

Mr Cowie said: “I’d worked with David for about 11 years after meeting on an EMC project and our backgrounds in the tech sector complement each other. His expertise and experience significantly differentiates us from our competitors."

The Northern Echo:

Growth had been steady until real acceleration over the last 12 months, with expansion particularly strong in the pharmaceutical, financial services, public sector and emergency service sectors.

Mr Cowie added: “What we’re really interested in as a company is using technology to make a real difference to the bottom line for our clients.

"Being smaller and independent means we aren’t tied into one product or brand, we just deliver the best and most appropriate and cost effective solution for our clients.

“I know from my experience in the industry that the big corporate tech firms are very prescriptive about what they will provide, but this isn’t always in the best interests of the client. As an independent our solutions can be a mix of product from different vendors or service providers, which is not always an option for bigger companies.

“We use technology and our service offerings to transform businesses, streamlining business processes, creating efficiencies and future proofing their IT to give companies a competitive advantage, both now and as they scale their activities."

Melius Group also has a cyber security arm, Melius Cyber.

Mr Cowie said: “Cyber security is an increasingly important issue for the tech sector, the wider business world and society.

"The threat to companies is very real and needs to be taken seriously. We’ve built an offering aimed specifically at small to medium sized organisations, and provide all aspects of cyber threat protection, providing pen testing, cyber audit, and a managed service solution giving 24/forever protection from cyber-attacks, including ransom ware.

“We can also help companies gain cyber security certification, which is becoming increasingly relevant as part of a company’s compliance requirements."

One area of growth he is particularly interested in is the education sector.

He said: “The Covid pandemic has reinforced what a massive enabler tech is in education, and the future for the sector will be blended learning – the days of students sitting in traditional classrooms looking at a board are gone. Tech is being used more and more, and there are huge opportunities for the sector.

“We’re already working in education, and one of the reasons for our expansion into Haylofts is further opportunities with colleges and schools.

“We looked at lots of different places but chose Haylofts because of its connectivity to the city centre and public transport – it’s very easy to get to, and there is also the capability of taking more space if and when we need to. With being so central there’s also the opportunity for cross pollination with other city centre businesses.”

For more on Melius Group or Melius Cyber visit melius-group.co.uk

Haylofts is part of the HyHubs portfolio of business centres and office space in the old Newcastle Brewery stables on St Thomas Street, for details or a tour email laura.goldston@hyhubs.com